Fixing Climate Change
Earth has been experiencing drastic changes in its biosphere.
This year 2015 has
been recorded as hottest year and we have observed impacts of Climate Change
such as droughts, extreme events, heat waves, sea level rise which is causing
an alarming impact on food, water, ecosystems, lives and human health. Among
species human are the most adaptive to changing the environment but until the
climate system reaches its tipping point.
A
4°C warmer world can, and must be, avoided – we need to hold warming below
2°C," said World Bank Group
President Jim Yong Kim. It is expected that even if countries fulfill
current emissions-reduction pledges climate could warm from the current global
mean temperature of 0.8°C above pre-industrial levels, to as high as 4°C by
2100.
What does our future hold?
Industrial
revolution took place between 1820 and 1840
which transferred world from wood and other biofuels to coal as source of
energy. According to NASA, within 64 years from 1950 to 2014 the carbon dioxide
level (ppm) has increased from about 320 to around 400 ppm, the change had
never been above 300 ppm in 650000 years. If GHG and world population increases
at the same rate as today then the
carbon dioxide levels will double that of pre-industrial period by 2050 (i.e
550 ppm) and would triple by end of century. It is expected that Greenland ice
sheet will melt completely rising sea level to 7m. If we do not meet the target
to reduce emission in future, the Sub-tropical
Mediterranean, northern Africa, the Middle East, and the contiguous United States
will experience summer temperatures rise
by more than 6°C and the Sahara and the
Middle East will have 6-7°C warmer July than
the present day. Only if we could limit GHG by
2050 we could decrease by a degree than what we experience at present.
World
Bank report says "There are indications that the greatest melt extent in
the past 225 years has occurred in the last decade,". This phenomenon is
partly due to melting of the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets; the rapid
growth in melt area observed since the 1970s in Greenland’s ice sheet is a
clear illustration of its increasing vulnerability.
The northern hemisphere contains soil named as permafrost
which contains solid carbon and methane. When earth gets warmer, it melts and
releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. As earth warms, it continues to
melt and as it melts it helps to give positive feedback to Climate change. In
addition, deep in the ocean there is methane stored in the form of ice known as
methane hydrate and if these get released in huge amount in the atmosphere, we
can get run away GHG effects which might be scary.
According to studies it is expected that if global temperature
gets 2 degree guardrail or above it then everything in the planet will be imbalanced
so, we need to avoid reaching to this tipping point.
Various studies explain, average of water vapor has increased
in the atmosphere since 1980 which as a result leads to intense whole one day
rainfall, which is being experienced in USA. These extreme events causes
erosion, flood which effects sanitation, livelihoods. In some parts of Africa,
Asia, America, Australia drought has been increasing. It is said that the
world's part already wet will get more wet and dry will get drier in coming
days.
In addition, most of places in the world lie in coastal area
which is hardly hit by wind. Tropical cyclone in southern hemisphere and
hurricane in Northern hemisphere causes damage each year. Half and billion
people live around tropical cyclone area. The frequency might not increase but
it is predicted that intensity could increase and get worst in future due to
Climate Change.
To stay in safe side, we cannot emit more than 1000 Billion
tons of carbon dioxide between 2000 to 2050. Humans have already used 40
percent of it. For not exceeding guardrail of 2 degree, we have to leave 80
percent of fossil fuel in ground. In June on behalf of 48 of the world’s least
developed nations, Uganda lead negotiator stated “Total emissions need to reach
zero between 2060 and 2080.”
Scientist predicts that there are much chances of larger mass
extinction of species in this century due to Climate Change. Many species are
in threat of disappearance, golden toad of Costa Rica. Bengal tiger which lives
just above 1m sea level and are very less in number in Bangladesh are in
danger. It is predicted that mountain region of Australia at the end of century
loses snow cover. Corals of Great Barrier Reef get stressed due to temperature
and when hotter days persist by 2 days, they bleach and die. In long run,
bleaching of the Coral reefs will affect thousands of species including the
humans.
Extra emission of GHG is changing fundamental chemistry of
ocean increasing acidity and directly affecting the species. A study says that
species of butterfly are migrating from Europe to 80 km north. The oaks of
Netherlands are leafing earlier. Small shift in climate has changes food chain
and ecosystem adversely.
Human beings are good in managing their internal climate. A
healthy human body temperature is about 37 degree Celsius. If we are not able
to manage this level and body temperature reaches 38 degree Celsius we start to
dehydrate and if it reaches to 42 degree Celsius, with heat stroke, we die. Due
to urban heat island heat stroke are acute in cities. This year in India, heat wave caused death of
more than 2500 people and 1200 in Pakistan. In
the wake of temperatures above 46 degrees Celsius last week, Iraq had to
declare a 4 day national holiday.
Nepal as one
among Least Develop Countries
Nepal is a mountainous country situated
at the central Himalayas whose 23 % of land lies in snowline. 3.6% of Nepal’s
total area is covered with glaciers and about 10% of Nepal’s precipitation
falls as snow. While Eastern Himalayas of Nepal is considered to be
biodiversity hotspot, which indicates to be very rich in biodiversity falling
in 25th position globally and 11th position regionally(ICIMOD). But various
reports indicate decline in snowline and glacier retreat in addition to loss in
the biodiversity due to climatic reason.
Nepal has experienced 24 GLOF events in the recent past,
several of which have caused considerable damage and loss of life.
About 21 glacier lakes are already reported to have reached sizes larger enough
to be critical. Twenty glacier lakes are highly vulnerable. Out of the 2323
glacier lakes inventoried, 330 lakes have expanded to become larger than 0.02
sq. km and are still expanding (Bajraacharya et al.2005). Many photographic
evidences in the main Ronbuk glacier in Mount Everest shows that it has lost
330 feet of vertical ice, at a rate of more than four feet a year
According to Shrestha et al.(2011),
the rise in temperature was greater at the higher altitudes and increasing in
temperature were more pronounced in the winter. It indicated that the warming
was more observed in the higher altitude as compared to Terai belts. Either directly
or indirectly, the impacts of Climate Change affect human health. In Nepal,
every year, many people die and thousands become homeless and suffer from
various diseases and injuries due to sudden occurrence of disasters and
epidemic diseases. In a recent 2009 epidemic of diarrhea and cholera in
mid-western Nepal more than 200 people lost their lives due to warm climate. Drought, intense rainfall and flooding can
also contribute to epidemics of waterborne infectious diseases
Probably in LCD's country like Nepal, it will be difficult in terms of finance to
deal with climate change effects for adaptation and mitigation in future. LCD's
will not be able to afford the cost to minimize the health effects in future.
A recent Harvard report highlights
that phasing out fossil fuels and replacing them with renewable energy could
save millions of dollars in health costs which is most relevant way to protect
many lives from disaster and vulnerability. For example among the findings were
that wind farms alone, built near Cincinnati and Chicago produced $210 million
in annual health benefits.
The concern here is not only for the country we live in it is
concern for the planet we live in for safer planet. Besides, this is only
planet we know that is alive and is our home.
Mitigation and
adaptation
Building leadership, saving energy and water, switching off
electricity, using public transport are some of the efforts that individual can
make. Carbon trade and polluter pays principle should be applied to all
countries which is powerful incentives keep emission rate down.
While days are getting hotter, one of methods for Climate
Change adaptation to local cities is to build roof with reflecting material to
keep it cool for short term. For long term, there is need of transformation of
enormous energy being used to renewable energy sources. Earth receives 174 PW
energy every year. Earth receives enough energy within one hour to power all
activities for whole year. We need .3 percent of world land area to produce
energy which is best for of alternative energy.
Solar PV panels can be used in houses, vehicles, can be used
to generate electricity in large amount. It is efficient as it produce more energy
from same solar radiation
Wind power has been used to produce energy from thousands of
years. For Example Netherlands plans to have a 100 percent wind powered railway
system by 2018. Cloud seeding can be one of the solutions that work by putting
particle such as iodide into atmosphere to increase rain and snow fall.
Government of Nepal
established the Alternative Energy Promotion Centre (AEPC) in 1996 with the
objective of developing and promoting renewable energy technologies in
Nepal. According to its annual report of
2014, the annual target achievement of micro/mini hydro, Improved Water Mill,
Solar PV, Small Solar PV Home Systems, Institutional Solar PV
Systems , Drinking Water Pumping Systems, solar cooker, Mud
ICS, Metallic ICS, Domestic Biogas
Plants are 89, 100, 48, 70, 35, 100, 71, 0, 100, 100, 100 percent.
Nepal has accomplished various Climate Change
initiatives including Sustainable Development Agenda, Millennium Development
Goals, National Capacity Needs Self Assessment, National Adaptation Program of Action (NAPA),
Local Adaptation Plan of Action (LAPA), Readiness Preparedness Proposal (REDD
RPP), Pilot Program for Climate Resilience and Climate Change Policy-2011. Nepal has a lead role for Mountain Initiative
as a global initiative that aims to cover the common interest of mountainous
countries.
It
is a challenge for Nepal to have different types of Climate change problems in different
geographical regions. But communities have adapted through their own indigenous
knowledge based on available resources. Climate Change policy also recognizes the
value of local knowledge, skills, and technologies in adaptation and mitigation
measures. It has provision to allocate 80% of total budget in the local level
adaptation program and activities to address the poor and vulnerable
communities. But existing mechanisms, instuitional arrangement, and capacity of
the service provider government institutions have been found poor and
questionable to achieve goals and objectives of policy.
Different
campaign such as Powershift Nepal, Kathmandu cycle city 2020, I carry my own
bag: say no to plastic bag, have been showing their efforts to aware, act and
help communities, youths to understand the importance of environment
conservation. This kind of campaign should be supported and encouraged by
government as well in different parts of country. Leadership, public
participation and capacity building among people are best way that helps to
bring changes in people's perspective and behavior.
Nepal
and other LDC's not being part of emission but are facing Climate Change
threat. People, environment, its ecosystem, species, hills, terai and mountain
are under extreme vulnerability. There is an urgency of international mechanism
to reduce loss and damage associated with adverse effect of climate change. Developed
countries must have ambitious mitigation targets and strategies and also should
support LDC's to transition to
low-carbon development pathways.
This
year is very critical for every country to set a climate plan that helps meet
zero emission targets of 2050. After the failure of agreements on 2009 every
Climate concern personalities are hoping for strong climate action plan by each
country this year. 130 countries have now come forward
to support a long-term goal in the Paris Agreement, to be decided upon on
December.
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